a short presentation on islam

A SHORT PRESENTATION ONISLAMSECOND INTERNATIONAL EDITION SYED ABUL HASAN ALI NADWI Translation IQBAL AHMAD

A SHORTPRESENTATIONONISLAMSYED ABUL HASAN ALI NADWIMuhammad Al-Hasni TrustRae Bareilly, U.P.

Publication DataName of the book: A SHORT PRESENTATION ON ISLAMAuthor: SYED ABUL HASAN ALI NADWICompiler: SYED ABDULLAH HASNI NADWITranslator: IQBAL AHMAD IBN KHALIL AHMADFirst Limited Edition: MARCH 2012Second Limited Edition: DECEMBER 2012First International Edition: FEBRUARY 2015Second International Edition OCTOBER 2015Price: Rs. 600.00 ALL RIGHTS ARE RESERVEDNo part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system ortransmitted, in any form or by the any means, mechanical, photocopying,recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of of the publisher.MUHAMMAD AL HASNI TRUSTRAE BAREILY, U.P. INDIAFor your copy of this book or more information on Islam please write to:ACADEMY OF ISLAMIC RESEARCH AND PUBLICATIONSNADWATUL ULEMAP.O.BOX 119TAGORE ROADLUCKNOW 226 001, U.P. INDIA. OR VISIT US AT www.abulhasanalinadwi.org

Translator’s Notes First and Second Limited Editions of 2012While every effort has been made to keep the meaning of the book Islam ka T'aaruf (Urdu) asclose as possible to its original expression, the terminology used by the author at some places hadto be elaborated upon for the benefit of readers totally unfamiliar with the subject. Consequently,such additional information, instead of being included in the main text, appears in footnotes andtext-boxes separately.In bringing this book to its present shape there has been an abundance of Allah's mercies upon me,praised be His sacred name; also support of some people was truly commendable. Dr. Abdur Rab,my neighbor, lent some famous books on Islam to me from his personal collection and JanabWazeh Rasheed Sahab of Nadwatul Ulema gave me an assortment of Hazrath Syed Abul HasanAli Nadwi's remarkable writings including authoritative translations of his works by the Late Dr.Asif Qidwai among others, study of that copious literature served as an initial groundwork for mebefore I could finally take up the actual translation. The compiler of the original work JanabAbdullah Hasni Sahab was kind enough to explain to me terms and expressions of Persian, Arabicand Urdu whenever I faced any difficulty in their comprehension. Mr. Farhat Afzal, a cousin ofmine, pointed out to me the many mistakes of punctuation that I had made and thus helped meimprove the final manuscript considerably. I thank all these gentlemen for their valuablecontributions.Iqbal Ahmad Ibn Khalil AhmadMA, MBA (Alig).Date: February 6, 2012Place: Lucknow First and Second International Editions 2015It is a great pleasure for me to present the First International Edition of this book to the Englishreadership everywhere through this digitized version. Urdu equivalents of Arabic words likeNamaz for Salah, Rozah for Sawm, used in the previous editions would have beenincomprehensible for many readers outside India, therefore Arabic words have been retained, aseverywhere people are more familiar with them. Expressions have been improved, the coverdesign has been revised and it is hoped that this new edition will appeal to a lot of peopleworldwide. May Allah accept this humble effort, bestow its reward upon my Late friend SheikhAbdullah Hasni Nadwi, may Allah have mercy on him, and cause its precious benefit to spread farand wide.Iqbal A. K. AhmadDated: 5.2.2015 and 6.10.2015Place: Jeddah

iCondensed ContentsChapter: 1 1Islam: Meaning, sense and purviewsChapter: 2 10 11Acts and forms of worship 31  Prayer – The first pillar of Islam 41  Poor-due – The second pillar of Islam 54  Fasting – The third pillar of Islam  Pilgrimage – The fourth pillar of IslamChapter: 3Some religious & socio-cultural (Millee) distinctions of Muslims 70Chapter: 4 79Festivals of MuslimsChapter: 5 83 98  The Muslim way of life  Islamic civilization and culture 110Chapter: 6Moral instructions and purification of mindChapter: 7 130Place and position of women in IslamChapter: 8 134 141  Place and position of humanity in Islam  The innate gift of being human

ii Detailed ContentsTranslator's notes iCondensed Contents iiForeword by the Compiler ixForeword for the 1998 Urdu Edition by the Complier xPreface by the Author xiiChapter: 1 1 3Islam: Meaning, sense and purviews 31.1a The importance of faith in Islam1.1b Fundamentals of the Islamic faithChapter: 2 10Acts and forms of worshipSection: 2.1 11 12Prayer (Salah) – The first pillar of Islam 132.1.1 Prayer (Salah) – Nourishment for the soul 142.1.2 How should a prayer (Salah) be offered 142.1.3 The call for prayer (Azaan) 152.1.4 Azaan: the announcement for Salah & an invitation to Islam 172.1.5 Purification 172.1.6 Ablutions (Wudu) before prayer 182.1.7 The routine and manner of Muslims in a mosque2.1.8 Formation of rows & the congregation of Imam & followers 212.1.9 The self-confidence of a believer and determination of his 22 class and league 232.1.10 The beauty of a prayer's conclusion2.1.11 Mosques and their importance and centrality in Muslim society

2.1.12 Friday – the 'Eid of the week iii2.1.13 Friday – its class and distinctions2.1.14 Meaning of an Arabic sermon (Khutbah) 242.1.15 Prayers are not identical and spiritual levels of 25 26 worshippers also are not identical 27Section: 2.2 31Poor-due (Zakat) – The second pillar of Islam 31 322.2.1 The importance of Poor-due in Islam and its status under 33 Shariah (Islamic Law) 342.2.2 The basic concept of the Economic System of Islam: 35 Everything is Owned by God 37 372.2.3 The secret of extending ownership of assests towards man 38 and its expediencies 392.2.4 The need for such a special and standard system of Zakat that would be good for every class of people and every period of time2.2.5 On which capital heads is the payment of Zakat ordained and what wisdom lies in fixing its rate?2.2.6 The uses of Zakat2.2.7 Zakat is not a tax or penalty, instead it is a permanent act of worship and a system divinely ordained2.2.8 Encouragement to spend as un-ordained dole and charity, wealth that is in excess of needs2.2.9 The worth of man and the importance of sympathizing with him, in the sight of IslamSection: 2.3 41 41Fasting (Sawm) – The third pillar of Islam 44 452.3.1 The commandment for fasting and related verses 462.3.2 What is Sawm?2.3.3 Fasting: Distinctions, virtues and commandments 462.3.4 Why has Ramzan been specially associated with fasting?2.3.5 A world season of worship and universal celebration of 47 righteous deeds2.3.6 Rising in the last quarter of the night for the Pre-dawn meal (Sahoor)

iv 48 502.3.7 Protection of the spirit and realtiy of the Sawm 512.3.8 E'tikaf 532.3.9 The Night of Power2.3.10 Sighting of the new moon of 'Eid ends RamzanSection: 2.4 54 54Pilgrimage (Haj) – The fourth pillar of Islam2.4.1 The account of Prophet Ibrahim, peace be upon him, in 64 66 the Glorious Quran and its relation with the Secure City 682.4.2 The Haj is a commemoration of the accomplishments and attributes of Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh), and a revival of his teachings and invitation to belief in the Oneness of Allah2.4.3 Showcased! A brotherhood based on Islamic and human values, and a fraternity which is global2.4.4 The duty of Haj is specific to an appointed period and placeChapter – 3 70Some religious and socio-cultural (Millee) distinctions of 70Muslims 713.1 The first distinction of Muslims: One revealed faith and 71 72 a religion and Shariah (Divine/Islamic law) which like all 73 God-made laws do not change 743.1.1 The honorific title of Muslimoon3.1.2 Faith, religion and Shariah are of fundamental importance 74 to Muslims3.1.3 No one has the right to amend or alter the laws of Shariah 753.2 Second socio-cultural distinction: A special concept and system of Taharah i.e. bodily purification3.3 The third socio-cultural distinction is their system of nourishment, that complies with the dictates of Quran3.4 Fourth socio-cultural distinction: Heartfelt attachment and intimacy with Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him (but free from exaggeration and hyperbole in expressions of reverence towards him)3.4.1 The deep affection and platonic love that Muslims have for their Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, has no precedent

3.4.2 Faith on the discontinuance of prophet-hood v3.4.3 Love for the Noble Companions and The Dwellers of the 76 prophet's home, may Allah be pleased with them 763.4.4 The greatness of the Glorious Quran and its place in Islam 773.4.5 The custom of learning the entire Glorious Quran by heart 77 among Muslims 783.5 Fifth socio-cultural distinction of Muslims: Concern for the global Islamic brotherhood, interaction with it and interest in its affairsChapter: 4 79 79Festivals of Muslims 80 80Two great festivals4.1a Reception of 'Eid and the agenda for the day 814.1b Prayer of 'Eid 824.2 Meeting the mandatory requirements for the sacrifice in Eid Al Adha and the greatness of sacrifice in Allah's sight4.3 Both festivals are International Festivals of MuslimsChapter: 5 Part: a 83 83The Muslim way of life5a.1 From birth up to puberty 835a.1.1 Birth of a child and the saying of Azaan and Iqamat in 83 his ears 845a.1.2 Infant's 'Aqeeqah and its procedure5a.1.3 Name of the child and the expression of ‘the Islamic’ 85 85 in it 865a.1.4 Preference for names of Prophets and the Noble 86 Companions for the blessedness and good reputation 86 inherent them 875a.1.5 Lessons in purification and Taharah 875a.1.6 Persuasion, guidance and drill for Salah5a.1.7 Education and training on Islamic manners and the Islamic way of life5a.2 Post-puberty up to death5a.2.1 Marriage in accordance with the practice of the beloved Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him5a.2.2 The custom of conducting the Nikah and its procedure

vi 88 885a.2.3 A short talk mentioning the rights of husband and wife at 92 93 the time of Nikah5a.2.4 A typical talk 945a.2.5 A worship called married life 945a.2.6 Distinctive conduct of Muslims in the face of natural crises5a.2.7 The inevitable crisis of death and the chain of distinctive 95 95 Islamic procedures related to it5a.2.8 Concern and preparation for the end 965a.2.9 Regard for the practices of the Prophet, peace & blessings 97 of Allah be upon him, in the last rites of the deceased5a.2.10 Funeral Prayer (Salat-ul-Mayyat) 975a.2.11 To take turns in shouldering the body placed on the bier and to walk up to the grave with it5a.2.12 Procedure for placing the body in the grave and the way to cast loose earth over the grave5a.2.13 Meals from kindred for the inmates of the home where somebody has passed away and the way to share griefChapter: 5 Part: b 98 99Islamic civilization and culture 995b.1 Three distinctive features of the Ibrahimian civilization 1025b.1.1 Acts of glorifying Allah in the lives of Muslims5b.1.2 Second international sign: The tenet of Tawheed 1025b.1.3 Third international sign: The tenet of decency and 103 equality among humankind5b.2 In Islamic society trades are neither permanent nor 104 contemptible 1045b.3 Widow remarriage and the privilege that Indian Muslims 104 107 have in this case 1075b.4 The tradition of Salaam and the difference in the ways of wishing and replying5b.5 The place of knowledge in Islam5b.6 The attitude of a Muslim towards Fine Arts5b.7 Religion is the overseer of lifeChapter: 6 110 110Moral instruction and purification of mind6.1 Objectives of the conferment of apostleship on Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him

6.2 A permanent workshop on building human character vii6.3 A comprehensive and eloquent character sketch of the 112 Apostle of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his children 1136.4 A glimpse of the sublime morals of the beloved Prophet, 118 peace and blessings of Allah be upon him 1226.5 The nature of the beloved Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his childrenChapter: 7 130Place and position of women in IslamChapter 8: Part: a 134 134Place and position of humanity in Islam 1358a.1 Man is the deputy and Khalifah of God 1358a.2 Only man is suitable for all the organizing in this world 1368a.3 A successful substitute 1368a.4 Demonstration of divine virtues 1378a.5 Two contradictory images 1388a.6 A Message of love and unity8a.7 The battle-ready tribes of Aws and Khazraj 1398a.8 The thing most disliked after shirk i.e. associating partners with Allah, is strained relationsChapter 8: Part: b 141 141The innate gift of being human 1428b.1 God is not despaired of the human race 1448b.2 A glass tycoon bids the highest for broken mirrors 1468b.3 What good is life sans compassion?8b.4 The place that God has accorded to humanityIndex xvi

viii Foreword by the CompilerThese are times when a storm of propaganda, against Islam and Muslims, israging around the world. Under the spell of the propaganda, everybodywho can write with any degree of merit, views that writing against Islam isa necessary thing to do. In these circumstances, it becomes theresponsibility of those who know, understand and practice Islam to uncoverthe reality of the propaganda, so that the world comes to know the truthabout Islam and nobody is left with the excuse that he lacks correctknowledge. Our concerted efforts towards this end include the publicationof the title Islam ka T'aruf in several languages. Thousands of God'sservants are being enlightened by the truth that it presents. It is a pleasurethat our Mr. Iqbal, who resides in Jeddah, took an exceptionally strongliking for Islam ka T'aruf. He worked long hours and studied every detail toexplain the text at many places and by the grace of God, completed hiswork recently. May Allah the Exalted accept his endeavors and utilize hislabor in a way that people hitherto ignorant and distant from Islam becomeaware about its truth.Syed 'Abdullah Hasni NadwiNadwatul 'Ulema,LucknowRabiul Awwal 27, 1433February 20, 2012

ix Foreword for the 1998 Urdu EditionIt is necessary for me to make a few acknowledgements and apprise thereaders of a few facts, which are as follows.Many writers have produced introductory books on Islam and have madesuccessful attempts at presenting Islam in its true form. They all deserve tobe thanked in accordance with their respective labor and efforts. However,for a complete introduction of Islam, need was being felt for such a bookthat would be concise and comprehensive, as also objective and middle-of-the-road that would present the right conception and a faithful picture ofIslam before the readers; because a large section of Muslims themselves andspecially a lot of Muslims who live in India have become victims ofignorance and superstition, they have themselves become unfamiliar withthe totality of the Islamic system to such an extent, that no difference is feltbetween them and those who are entirely alien to Islam. As a result, manyobstacles have sprung up in the path of Islam’s acceptance, to present Islamcorrectly after removing them, is the duty of every sympathizing Muslim. Itis a task which has, more or less, continued in one form or the other, atevery time and place. The present book too is a link in this auspiciouschain, may Allah accept it, and make it a means of guidance.In compiling this book due care has been taken to ensure that whatevermaterial is sourced, it is from the writings of the Islamic thinker SheikhSyed Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi because Allah the Exalted has blessed hiswritings with such acceptability and appeal, world fame and widepopularity, moderation and comprehensiveness, which is not found in theworks of any of his contemporaries. At the same time, different, ratheropposing, classes and organizations repose confidence in his personalitywhich actually is the result of his sincerity, compassion, kindliness andsympathy that he has for the sufferings of others. That is why, from hisbooks and booklets only (specially Hindustani Musalman ek nazar mein,

xDastoor-e-Hayaat and Arkaan-e-Arbaa', which are all his Arabic and Urduworks) we have compiled this book.Lastly, it is my duty to thank those of our brothers also who, with greatdiligence and dedication, copied extracts from Sheikh Syed Abul Hasan AliNadwi's books, got the photo-type-settings prepared and gave them the formof a book. Especially Brother Moulvi Risaluddin Nadwi who assisted mevery much and completed this work with interest and zeal, labor anddevotion, and likewise, Brother Moulvi Wasee Sulaiman Nadwi whoassisted him deserves to be thanked. Last but not the least, it is necessary tothank Brother Moulvi Muhammad Shahid Nadwi for his efforts in proof-reading the entire book with great care.May Allah the Exalted accept this work and after making it a means toprovide introductory knowledge on Islam unlock the doors of guidance,which is not at all difficult for Him.Syed 'Abdullah Hasni NadwiNadwatul 'Ulema,Lucknow

xiIn the name of Allah the Compassionate, the Merciful PrefaceThe world, in spite of its expanses, has become the semblance of a home.Its inhabitants though may be affiliated to different communities, sects andclasses but they are all inmates of one home. Therefore, for co-existence –which is the accepted principle of a decent and peaceful life – and for unityand confidence, love and respect, co-operation and partnership among thedifferent communities, sects and elements of various descriptions of apopulation; it is necessary that each community not only develops anacquaintance with the temperament and taste, tenets of faith and religioustraditions of the other community, rather it should value and respect them aswell.However. How regrettable it is that inmates of one home, residents of thesame locality, those who go to bazaars and markets together and come backtogether, those who give each other company in centers of education,offices, district courts, those who travel together in trains, buses and planes,and those for whom the chances of developing an acquaintance with eachother are readily available; they have, almost, so much estrngement andalienation from each other's tenets of faith, acts of worship, religiousteachings and distinctions, as was found in ancient times when people livingin different parts of the world had not heard about each other nor there werequite so many facilities to recognize and get familiar with each another.In India it is about one thousand years that, Hindus, Muslims are livingtogether. In cities, towns, villages and neighborhoods theirs is a mixedpopulation and a shared domicile. In bazaars, wholesale markets, centers ofeducation, district courts, offices, and now it is over a hundred years that, inpolitical movements, social work campaigns, railway stations, post offices,trains and buses, opportunities to mix and mingle and develop acquaintancewith each other are easily available to them; but it is one of the world's mostastonishing facts and a kind of riddle not easy to solve that each has almostas much estrangement and alienation with each other’s religious beliefs,

xiicivilization and way of life, ways and manners, and national distinctions, asused to be often between inhabitants of two countries in ancient times.Each one’s information about the other is deficient, superficial, cursory andmostly based on rumors and conjectures and opinions. Each community issuffering from a lot of serious misunderstandings about the other andsometimes because of hatred laden literature, political propaganda, vitriolicand tinted historical narrative, textbooks prescribed in curricula, andbaseless tales and stories, has established a wrong and repulsive image in itsmind and understanding of the other. If an unbiased group of onecommunity, quizzed some individuals who are simple and good at heartabout the fundamental articles of faith, rules and principles of the way oflife of the other community, then either they will express ignorance or theywill give such replies which would evoke spontaneous laughter among theknowledgeable. The writer of these lines who travels a lot and who mixesand mingles with people of every class and every level, in trains and buses,has had this experience many a time; but this is not something to laugh at, itis a matter to grieve about. That, after living together for so many centurieswe are unfamiliar with one another to this extent. Responsibility for thissituation does not rest with any single community, it is on all; and especiallyon those who work in the field of religion, social workers, those who havetrue love for the country and those who are friends of humanity, that theydid not make a serious effort to introduce one community to the other, or ifthey did, it was not quite enough. The civilized world of today has accepteda principle. That, for love, respect, mutual confidence, a safe and secure lifeand for all good purposes, and for cooperation and team work, it isnecessary to acquire correct information about one another. Every element,every community and every group in a population should know that whatprinciples does the other element, community and group places its faithupon. Which laws does it strictly complies with and considers themessential for itself. What is the color (interesting and exciting details orqualities) of its civilization and way of life? What are the life values itholds dear? What does it need to be free from anxiety and lead a confidentlife? Which beliefs and aims are dearer to it than its own life and morelovable than its progeny? While interacting with it, in sharing some happyand pleasant moments with it, what sentiments and feelings should be keptin mind? For co-existence, which is the accepted principle for a decent andpeaceful life, the first condition is to be familiar with each other to theextent necessary.

xiiiThe loss from this state of affairs is affecting Hindus, Muslims, equally andeventually India, rather all humanity. Huge gulfs permanently existbetween different communities. Hearts have bitterness and minds:suspicions.Men have become collectively deprived of living with love and affection, ofthe ability to laugh, to talk, to enjoy life, to trust each other and have respectfor each other’s cultures and creeds. The result is that the capabilities andenergies of some communities, and there is no fear or harm in saying thatthose of Muslims especially, are being spent over offering clarifications andin defending themselves.So far as the earlier period of Muslims and their history is concerned; andthat, what role Muslims have played in the nation’s construction andprogress and its organization and stability; what enhancements they havemade in the fields of civilization and urbanization, prose and poetry, artsand sciences and what all landmarks they have left behind, on that manygood books have already been written by writers of stature, and severalyears ago the writer of these lines himself had written HindustaniMusalman which has been published in Arabic, Urdu and English.However, this is a subject of history and mostly of interest to students andresearch scholars.Similarly, the need was also for such a book in which, overlooking whatand whatever Muslims are, they be presented before their fellowcountrymen, in terms of how they should be and what genuinely is their trueface and complexion; neither tint nor opinion be added, neitherexaggeration be employed nor the narrative should be uncharitable towardsthem and usurp their rights. For this purpose, the writer of these lines wroteHindustani Musalman ek nazar mein which has already been publishedseveral years ago. However, besides these books the need for such a bookstill remained that would be handy and concise, which would present afaithful picture of Islam and would include a complete overview of it,because many of our Muslim and non-Muslim brethren find voluminousbooks strenuous to read.It is a moment of happiness that Sheikh Syed Abdullah Hasni Nadwi(Lecturer, Darul ‘Uloom, Nadwatul ‘Ulema, who is the son of such aIslamic scholar and literary figure whose Arabic writings, academic papers

xivand the papers he wrote for inviting mankind to faith, used to impress andmove masters of Arabic literature and highly learned Arab writers to tears)took this blessed step, which is beneficial and auspicious for allcommunities, the educated, and the just.He has compiled this book keeping before him the writer’s work, publishedunder the title of Hindustani Musalman ek nazar mein, which gives anoverview of the Articles of Faith of Muslims, their Way of life andCivilization, and Education and Training and their entire life pattern; andsome of the writer’s other published works which cover Fundamentals ofthe Faith of Muslims, their Religious Obligations, and Principles of theirCivilization and Way of life; and he himself is a master and teacher ofReligious Instruction and some fundamental books at Darul 'Uloom,Nadwatul 'Ulema, Lucknow, which is a premier Islamic institutioninternationally renowned for its grand history and academic excellence.Then, family-wise also, he is the heir and owner of a very vast and authenticculture and wealth of knowledge.Therefore, the present book is in every way, useful, important, authentic andcomprehensive.Syed Abul Hasan 'Ali NadwiNadwatul 'Ulema,Lucknow

xv Chapter: 1 Islam: Meaning, sense and purviewsIslam is the name of totally giving oneself up and surrendering oneselfunconditionally before God and in Islam the perimeter of religion surroundsthe entire life span. This is a fundamental truth which can not be graspedwithout understanding the nature of relationship between God and Hisslave. Every Muslim is an obedient slave of God and his relationship withGod is everlasting, covers all aspects of his life, it is deep as also expansive,it is limited as also comprehensive. At one place the words of the NobleQuran are: I seek refuge in Allah from devil the outcast In the name of Allah the Compassionate the Merciful O ye who believe! Come, all of you, in to submission (unto Him); and follow not the footsteps of the devil. Lo, he is an open enemy for you.1Here is no safeguard and nothing is earmarked on the lines of – this much ismine and this much yours – this much for the country – this much for theState – this much for God – this much for the family and tribe – this muchfor religion and community – and this much for political interests. No.Whatever is present is God's. Here worship is all-pervading. Before God, aMuslim's entire life is humility personified, slavery personified.The purview of religion overwhelms every aspect of life and nobody has theright to make any amendment in it. Even the most celebrated authority onIslamic Law and Jurisprudence and the Imam of an age do not have thepermission to amend a word or change a dot in matters which arecategorically decided and have the status of unequivocal truths in theGlorious Quran.Allah the Exalted demands and Islam too requires that its practitioners enterits fold completely. I say with clarity and consider it my duty to be1. V 208: Al-Baqrah: Chapter 2: The meaning of the Glorious Quran; Mohammad M. Pickthall.

2 | A SHORT PRESENTATION ON ISLAMunambiguous that in our way of life, ways we adopt in weddings andmarrigages, ways we adopt in matters of inheritance, and the way weconduct our affairs and dealings, we are far from Shariah and very far fromit. While some of us, by the grace of God, practice religion to the extent ofholding correct beliefs with respect to the Oneness of Allah, apostleship,Hereafter and other essential tenets of faith but are not punctual inobserving acts of worship; many are those who are no doubt strong in faithand worship but please do not ask me of their conduct and ethics, for inconduct and ethics, they are utterly unreliable. If they will deal withsomebody they will not miss any chance to undermine his interests, willweigh less, and measure less. If they will be in business and in case that is apartnership then they will be found to commit unjust acts and acts that willhurt the interests of partners. If somebody will be their neighbor then hewill suffer harassment at their hands.According to a Noble Tradition2: Muslim is he from (the oppression of) whose tongue and hand Muslims remain safe and secure.None of you can become a believer until your neighbor becomes safe fromyour torment and your oppression. So now what to say! Thre is a class ofpeople that has expelled inter-personal relations and ethics from the purviewof religion; their understanding is that tenets of faith and a variety of acts ofworship is all that is necessary; neither transparency in dealings nor keepingof promises; neither care for anything kept in their trust nor any fairness;nothing at all. Unconcerned with the rights of fellow human beings, totallyfree from the liability of close relatives and those who have a right overthem; in their inter-personal dealings, in business matters and otherdisciplines of life even, they do as they please.Muslims who were groomed by Sayyadna Muhammad, the Apostle of Islamic etiquette makes it compulsory that whenever the name of a prophet, or of his companions, is mentioned it is followed by a short supplication. Readers will therefore find the following supplications throughout this book: peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, or, peace be upon him. or, may Allah be pleased with him/her/them. Please also refer sub- section 3.4.3. of Chapter 3 in this regard.2. Noble Traditions: The teachings of the Holy Quran and the . . . . . . (continued on next page)

ISLAM: MEANING, SENSE AND PURVIEWS | CHAPTER 1 | 3Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, were the most faithful.Their lives were cast entirely in the mould of religion. Their faith, theirworship, their dealings, their manners, their rituals, their ceremonies, theirvictories, their rule, their statecraft – all of these – and the way they spentthe days and nights of their life were in conformity with Shariah (Islamiclaw).3This calligraphy means: May peace and blessing of Allah be upon him. Readers will find this calligraphy throughout the book.1.1a The importance of faith in IslamThe foundation of being a slave of God rests upon the correction of thetenets of faith (‘Aqaaed) and belief (Eemaan). He whose faith is flawed andbelief is corrupted, then neither is any act of his worship acceptable nor anyof his actions will be deemed right; and whose faith is correct and belief isright then even his small good deeds are enough. Therefore, first of allthere is a need to enquire about those points, to have faith upon, to believein and to comply with which is necessary, and without having firmconviction (Yaqeen) on which nobody deserves to be called a Muslim. It isthese articles of faith that are shared by all Muslims of the world.1.1b Fundamentals of the Islamic faithThese tenets, or shall we say articles, of faith are:Article 1: Belief in the Oneness of God (Tawheed):Belief in the Oneness of Allah, Tawheed in Arabic, is a pure and matchless2. (continued from previous page) ….. Noble Traditions are complimentary in nature. While theHoly Quran is from Allah the Exalted, the Noble Traditions are a record of the beloved Prophet's –peace and blessings of Allah be upon him – words and deeds. 'Ahadith', 'Hadith literature' and'The Noble Traditions' are synonymous terms. One classification differentiates The NobleTraditions in to Prophet’s Traditions and Sacred Traditions. The Sacred Traditions (called AhadithQudsiyah in Arabic; singular: Hadith Qudsi), are a record of those of Allah's revelations to thebeloved Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, which are not part of the Holy Quran.Only one Sacred Tradition appears in this book. 3. Every obedient slave of Allah should strive topursue these ideals. Their best example was in the personality of Prophet Muhammad, apostle ofAllah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and the second best in the lives of his NobleCompanions, may Allah be pleased with them. A glimpse of both appears in Chapter 6.

4 | A SHORT PRESENTATION ON ISLAMarticle of faith in Islam. Under this article there is no need for anintermediary between God and His slave, who would intercede in matters ofsupplication and worship. In this article there is also no room for,polytheism4, the ideas of somebody being God's incarnate and shadow, andthe doctrines of transmigration and merger of Creator and creature5. On thecontrary there is admission and acceptance of the Divinity and the Onenessof Allah the Exalted, the Eternally Besought, Who neither has a father nor ason, nor a partner in His Kingdom; in His very Hand is the genesis andcreation of the universe, the maintenance of order in the world and theSovereignty of the earth and the heavens.In other words, there is a Builder of this workshop of nature, Who alwayswas and will always be. He bears the whole lot of virtues, all forms ofpraise, the whole lot of good attributes in excellent degrees; and is freefrom all kinds of blemishes, imperfections and weaknesses. His knowledgeencompasses the whole lot of existences and every branch of knowledgethat there is.This entire universe exists only because He so intends. He is the Alive; theAll-Hearing; the All-Seeing. Neither is there anyone like Him nor has He arival or equal. He has no resemblance and He does not depend on help. Hehas no partner, companion or helper in the administration and running of theuniverse. Only He, singularly, is deserving of worship (i.e. to be respectedin the extreme). Only He, singularly, cures the sick; provides livelihood topeople and removes their sufferings. (1) Deifying others besides Allah, (2)debasing oneself or expressing humility in the extreme before them, (3)prostrating before them, (4) supplicating to them or asking help from themin matters that are not in human control and are only connected with Allah'sOmnipotence – for example (5) blessing a couple with offspring, (6) writingfate: good or bad, (7) causing to send and deliver help everywhere, (8)capability to listen at any distance, (9) to know what is in people's heartsand what is hidden – are sins that, in Islamic terminology are jointly andseverally termed Shirk (Arabic; 'i' pronounced as in 'shin', not pronouncedlike the English word 'shirk'; meaning: associating partners with Allah); andthat is the biggest sin which is not forgiven without repentance.In the Glorious Quran it has been stated that:4. Faith and belief in the existence of numerous and multiple gods and deities. 5. God's entry into a creature and both the Creator and the creature becoming one.

ISLAM: MEANING, SENSE AND PURVIEWS | CHAPTER 1 | 5 But His command, when He intendeth a thing, is only that He saith unto it: Be! And it is.6Article 2: Allah the Exalted neither descends in somebody nor does Heimpersonate somebody. Nor anybody happens to be His incarnate. He isnot restricted to a place or direction. Whatever He decrees that happens andwhatever He does not decree does not happen. He is the Absolute, theEternally Besought, Who is not in need of anything. Nobody can weildauthority over Him. Nobody can question Him as to what He is doing.Wisdom is His attribute; every action of His is wise and good. There is no(real) Ruler except Him.Article 3: Fate, good or bad, is from Allah. He has prior knowledge ofeverything that will come to pass and grants to everything its existence.Article 4: His are the angels, high ranking and very close to Him. Thedevils too are the creation of God the Exalted and they become the cause ofevil for people. Among His creation are also the Jinn.Article 5: The Quran is a discourse from Allah the Exalted. All its wordsand their meanings are from Him. It is complete, and is guarded againsttampering i.e. deletion, addition and alteration; anybody who is convincedthat it has been tampered with or that something is deleted or added to it, isnot a Muslim.Article 6: The Hereafter (Arabic: Aakhirah)After the knowledge of the Being and Attributes of Allah the Exalted, thenext profound knowledge the prophets, peace be upon them, grant to theworld – and which definitely cannot be obtained from any other sourceexcept them – is the knowledge that man will die and again come back tolife and this world will be demolished and re-built. In that second life, manwill have to be accountable for his previous lifetime. Whatever he has sownin his worldly life, that he will reap.Man has no means to acquire this knowledge except through the prophets,peace be upon them. The capabilities of deduction and conclusion that man6. V.82: Chapter 36: Yaseen: The meaning of the Glorious Quran; Mohammad MarmadukePickthall.

6 | A SHORT PRESENTATION ON ISLAMpossesses can neither obtain this knowledge in the first place nor candisprove it. Senses, intellect, experience and besides these man’s hiddenpowers [intrinsic senses like balance, determination], and then out ofspirituality and intuition, no power and source is such through whichbesides the life of this world the existence of some other kind of life and itsdetails can be proved, and nor there is such a possibility that in this life theworld of the Hereafter can be observed. All this information pertains to theUnseen and man cannot, on his own, comprehend that which is Unseen; hissciences and his intellect cannot at all help man have access to it; throughthose sciences and intellect neither can it be proved nor can it be disproved.Man is left with only two options: either after placing confidence in theprophets and after studying the observations and evidences that establishthe truth of their claim, attest their statements or without any scientific proofand evidence reject them. Say (O Muhammad): None in the heavens and the earth knoweth the Unseen save Allah; and they know not when they will be raised (again). Nay, but doth their knowledge reach to the Hereafter? Nay, for they are in doubt concerning it. Nay, for they can not see it.7However, as mentioned above, witnesses [verses of the Holy Quran, as theytestify to the Hereafter and are manifest proof because they come from thatvery world] of this approaching reality and the possibilities that it exists wecome by in this world and in this life, from which without any intellectualmix-up man can conjecture that this event is by all means possible.Its one striking parallel and its one witness is the birth and life of manhimself. How many stages he has covered from naught to existence andfrom existence to the completion of his existence. From semen to sperm,from sperm he assumed the form of a clot or a form leech-like, then wasformed a small fetal lump with features or without features, then wasformed a bony structure, which then was clothed with flesh, then finally hedeveloped into a different creation, then after emerging from the darkconfines of the abdomen he spent sometime in the cradle of infancy and7. V. 65-66: Chapter 27: An-Naml: The meaning of the Glorious Quran; Mohammad M. Pickthall.

ISLAM: MEANING, SENSE AND PURVIEWS | CHAPTER 1 | 7childhood. He then stepped in to the verdant Maidan of youth. Then eitherhis next step fell at the threshold of death or he was given so much respitethat after having seen that springtime of life, he also saw the autumn of oldage and began the return journey of life. In other words, after youth, in oldage, once again childish tendencies began to overtake him. His capacitiesfailed one by one, mind and memory left him. Like a child he became,helpless, dependent on the care and concern of others. He began to neglecthimself more and more and everything that he had hitherto known so wellbecame unrecognizable for him. At this juncture ended one leg of hisjourney but his journey did not, only a transitional stage of the journeyarrived which is called death and the world of barzakh (partition). Maut ek maandgi ka waqfah hai; Ya’ni aagey chalenge dam lekar Death is the stopover of a tired wayfarer; that is, will move on after resting a while.Surely, whosoever knows the original of and the truth of man [dust andwater], and then his beginning and his birth, what intellectual hitch can hehave in believing the coming back to life after death? And whosoever hasobserved so many changes in the life of man, what difficulty has he inaccepting the possibility of a last change?The second glaring example of life after death are scenes of the earth’sreturning to life which keep appearing before our eyes again and again.This earth that holds a trust, in whose bosom are the life-sustainingtreasures and belongings of thousands of human beings to be born andbeasts that would come to life, itself happens to lie dead. Her lips get driedand parched by the sun, it happens to be an insensitive and lifeless corpse ofdust, in which there neither happens to be life nor the life sustainingresource for anything else. However, when drops of the heavenly elixir oflife fall on its lips and moistening its throat reach up to its bosom, then thatvery earth all of a sudden wakes up from her mortal sleep. The energy oflife and the beauty of youth runs through her, she, as if, swings, sways andseems intoxicated. Her mouth throws out riches, greenery and a treasure oflife. Fragrant vegetation, ripened crops waving in the wind, and worms andinsects that crawl out and spread about on the surface of the earth, inform usof the earth’s inner life and that it has been blessed with life. During

8 | A SHORT PRESENTATION ON ISLAMspringtime and rainy season this scene of the earth’s inner life who, amongus, has not seen with his own eyes? And it is Allah Who sendeth thewinds, and they raise a cloud; then We drive it unto a dead land andWe quicken thereby the earth after the death thereof. Even so shall bethe Resurrection.8 And of His signs is that thou beholdest the earthlowly, and when We send down thereon water, it stirreth to life andgroweth. Verily He who quickeneth is the Quickener of the dead.Verily He is over everything Potent.9 And Who sendeth down from theheaven water in measure; then We quicken a dead land therewith: evenso ye shall be brought forth.10Apart from these two signs and manifest examples, this majestic andsprawling workshop of the universe keeps presenting instances and scenesof life after death, day and night. Here every moment, continuallyfabricated things keep getting out of order and after being dismantled arefabricated continually. From a thing devoid of life and consciousness isobtained a fit and healthy, hale and hearty living being, and from a fit andhealthy living existence, a thing totally lifeless and dead. Contrastingeffects and results arise from a lot of substances. In many creatures lifebuilding processes and life’s degenerative processes keep carrying onsimultaneously. Whosoever has studied, however little, about this infinitepower of the Creator of the universe, initial stages of the life of creatures,and the extensiveness of genesis and creation, he cannot even for a momenthave any doubt about life after death and for him there is absolutely nointellectual hitch to accept it.Observe they not what wise Allah originateth creation? And then Heshall restore it. Verily for Allah that is easy. Say thou: go about in theland and behold what wise He hath originated creation; and then Allahshall produce another production; verily Allah is over everythingPotent.11Article 7: After death, the coming back to life of the dead in their ownbodies is incontrovertible. Rewards and punishments, and theaccountability of the Hereafter is incontrovertible. The presence of Paradiseand Hell is incontrovertible.8. V.9: Chapter 35: Faatir; Daryabadi Quran Translation; Abdul Majid Daryabadi. 9. V.39:Chapter 41: Ha Meem Sajdah 10. V.11: Chapter 43: Al-Zukhruf 11. V.19-20, Chapter 29, AlAnkabooth; Daryabadi Quran Translation; A. M. Daryabadi.

ISLAM: MEANING, SENSE AND PURVIEWS | CHAPTER 1 | 9Article 8: The coming of messengers to the world by the Will of Allah isincontrovertible and that God the Exalted commands and educates Hisslaves through the words and the agency of His noble prophets, peace beupon them, is incontrovertible. Sayyadna Muhammad  is God's lastapostle, after him there is no prophet, and his apostleship and Invitation toIslam are for the whole world. In terms of this eminence and distinction Phrases like Invitation to Islam and Invitation to Tawheed (Belief in the Oneness of God) or simply Invitation frequently appear in Islamic literature. Readers will like to be informed that, in Islamic terminology, propagation of religion is customarily referred to as Da'vah (Arabic) i.e. Invitation. Extending an invitation, even in common social settings, is considered an expression of respect for the invited.and, apart from this, in terms of other similar distinctions he  is the mostdistinguished among the prophets, peace be upon them. Without believingin his apostleship, belief is not credible and religion has no Truth. Verily,Islam alone is the Religion of Truth; other than which no religion isacceptable in the Court of Allah and the means of Deliverance in theHereafter. Even the most eminent of the eminent personalities i.e. devotedslaves of God, the abstinent or the ardent in worship, does not violate thecommandments of Shariah.Article 9: It is incontrovertible that Sayyadna Abu Bakr Siddique, mayAllah be pleased with him, was the Imam and Khalifah after SayyadnaMuhammad, the Apostle of Allah  followed by Sayyadna 'Umar IbnKhattab, Sayyadna 'Uthman Ibn 'Affan and Sayyadna 'Ali Ibn Abi Talibrespectively, may Allah be pleased with all of them. The NobleCompanions, may Allah be pleased with them, are the religious leaders andguides of Muslims. To speak ill about them is forbidden (Haraam) and tohold them in high esteem and express respect towards them is ordained(Wajib).1212. Sections 1.1a and 1.1b are adapted from the author's Hindustani Musalman ek nazar mein(Urdu) pgs 69-74 with slight modification.

Chapter: 2 Acts and forms of worshipAfter faith which is a spiritual aspect, the physical aspect to which Islamgives great importance, lays immense stress and places a lot of emphasisupon are acts and forms of worship, which are the foremost aim, objectiveand purpose of the birth of human beings. Allah the Sanctified has Himselfstated: I created the jinn and human kind only that they might worship Me.1According to the Islamic Shariah, four acts of worship are obligatory2 onevery, sane and adult, Muslim man and Muslim woman. And for this veryreason, they are called Arkaan-e Arba’a (i.e. 'the four pillars’) of religion.1. Prayers of the five specified times everyday.32. If a person meets the criteria for Zakat, then the payment of Zakat (poor- due) applicable on his/her assets once a year.3. Fasting in the month of Ramzan.4. And Haj of the Holy Ka'bah (provided a person can afford it) which is obligatory once in a lifetime.These obligatory acts of worship are such that he who refuses to observethem abandons the sphere of Islam and someone who permanently shirks(neglects to observe) them stands, as if, expelled from the cohesive group ofpracticing Muslims.1. V.56: Chapter 51: Az-Zariyaat: The meaning of the Glorious Quran; Mohammad MarmadukePickthall. 2. The author implies here that, in Islam, there are also numerous acts of worship whichare of a non-obligatory nature. 3. They are, namely: Fajr prayer, offered about 45 minutes beforesunrise; Zuhr prayer, offered about half an hour after the sun reaches its highest point at noon; 'Asrprayer, offered in the afternoon; Maghrib prayer, offered just after sunset and the 'Ishaa prayeroffered in the early part of the night. [Apostrophes in the transliteration of the Arabic words like'Asr and 'Isha indicate the missing letter 'Ain. The Arabic letter 'Ain has a valorized pronunciationand it has no equivalent in the English alphabet].

Chapter 2: Section: 2.1 Prayer (Salah) – The first pillar of IslamThe word prayer is not employed in this book in the general sense of its dictionary meanings, it hasinstead been used specifically to denote an Islamic act of worship whose obligatory nature, relationwith the soul, preconditions and the procedure for offering it to Allah the Exalted form the subjectmatter of this entire section.Among these obligatory acts of worship, the foremost and the mostimportant is prayer (Salah). It is a pillar of religion. It is the sign of Islamand the identity of a Muslim. So much so, that it has been declared to bethe line of demarcation and the basis of superiority between Islam and thenon-Islamic beliefs. Allah the Exalted says: And establish worship, and be not of those who ascribe partners (unto Him).1And the beloved Prophet  is reported to have said: (The line of demarcation) between Allah's bondsman and disbelief is the non-observance of prayer.2According to another Tradition, with a different chain of reporters, he  isalso reported to have said: Between belief and disbelief (the line of demarcation) is surely the non-observance of prayer.3Prayer is the condition for Deliverance and the protector of belief, and Allahthe Exalted has stated it as one of the basic conditions for receiving DivineGuidance and cultivating God-consciousness. Prayer is obligatory uponevery free-man and slave, rich and poor, sick and healthy, traveller and1. V.31: Chapter 30: Ar-Room: The meaning of the Glorious Quran; Mohammad MarmadukePickthall. 2. Narrated by Sayyadna Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him; Sahih Bukhari. 3.Related by Tirmizi.

12 | A SHORT PRESENTATION ON ISLAMresident, for all times to come and in every condition. In no circumstancecan any adult person be exempted from it. However, if unable to pray whilestanding then he may sit down, and if he can not pray while sitting then hemay lie down, and if this posture even is troublesome for him then he mayuse gestures to offer the prayer; but the prayer will not be waived. So muchso that it is mandatory to offer prayer (in a particular manner) even in thebattlefield. And that prayer is known by the name of Salatul Khawf. Aconcession is granted during travel, in the sense that, the obligation of a fourRak'ah4 prayer (Zuhr, 'Asr and 'Ishaa) is discharged by offering only twoRak'aat. The Sunnah and Nafil in such prayers become optional and theirstressed status5 becomes void.Prayer is such a duty that not even a prophet and apostle can annul it, whatto talk of any faithful slave of Allah, mystic or mujahid6. Such is prayer inthe interest of the believer, as water is in the interest of the fish. Prayer, forthe believer, is a place of refuge and a dominion of peace; and if prayer isgenuinely what it ought to be, then it has no compatibility with the worshipof entities other than Allah, slavery to entities other than Allah, life ofignorance and base conduct; and both of these are in open contrast witheach other. Allah the Exalted says: Verily, prayer preserveth from lewdness and inequity.72.1.1. Prayer (Salah) – Nourishment for the soulSince man was to become the deputy of Allah on earth and was to occupyan extremely sensitive position, for this reason desires too have been placedin him and some needs too have been bound to him. There are emotions inhim and the warmth of love also; sensitivity towards pain and theconsciousness of happiness also; liking for research and thirst forknowledge also. He has all the competence and capability to exploit thetreasures and deposits of the earth and utilitze them to meet his objectives.4. Rakah (Arabic): A Rak'ah consists of three steps: the Qayaam the Ruku' and the two Sujood(pl. Arabic; sing. Sajdah; meaning: prostration). And a prayer may consist of one, two, three orfour Rak'aat. 5. Stressed status of prayers: Sunnah and Nafil are supererogatory prayers whichwere offered by the prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, either regularly and termedstressed or not regularly and termed unstressed. 6. Mujahid (Arabic/Urdu): Somebody whostrives in the way of God. 7. V.45: Chapter 29: Al-'Ankabooth: The meaning of the GloriousQuran; Mohammad Marmaduke Pickthall; this portion of the present section was adapted andabridged from the author's Dastoor-e-Hayaath (Urdu) Pgs 93-98.

PRAYER (SALAH) – THE FIRST PILLAR OF ISLAM | CHAPTER 2.1 | 13To discharge the responsibilities of that sensitive and important position(Allah's deputy on earth) and to complete the orbit of that special objectivefor which he has been created, he was not restricted like the heavenlybodies, the mountains, the plants, the beasts and inorganic matter topostures of continuous Qayaam (the upright position in prayer), continuousRuku’ (the half-upright position in prayer), continuous Sujood (the positionof prostrations in prayer) and to continuous glorification and chant. Instead,in view of all the foregoing facts, man needed such a form or system ofworship which would be in harmony with his nature, the duties of hisposition, his status and place in the universe that is accorded to him in theform of being the Deputy of God on earth.On the one hand worship was necessary also for him because it is thedemand of his nature, the Intention behind his existence and thatresponsibility and duty of his existence, the voice of his conscience, thenourishment for his heart and soul, the medium of translating his virtue andtrustworthiness and an essential for establishing his human credentials. Onthe other hand it was equally necessary that his worship was according tohis build and personality, and in concordance with his sensitive andimportant status and his singular place in this universe; and it had to be likethat dress which fits him and looks elegant on him, neither tight nor loose,neither long nor short.Salah, in fact, is this very dress which is immaculately measuring up to hisbeing and in which no flaw whatsoever is seen. Lo! We have created everything by measure.8To offer all these five prayers (that have been made obligatory) is necessaryat those very appointed times that Allah the Exalted has fixed for them.Those times have also been indicated in the Glorious Quran. Also fixed isthe number of Rak'aat that comprise each of these five prayers, conformityto which is necessary.2.1.2. How should a prayer (Salah) be offeredAllah the Exalted has blessed the Salah with such an air and environment of8. V.49: Chapter 54: Al-Qamar: The meaning of the Glorious Quran; Mohammad M. Pickthall.

14 | A SHORT PRESENTATION ON ISLAMhonor and respect, tenderness of heart and humility, dignity and sobriety,co-operation and collective sentiment; that the like of which is not found inthe act of worship of any religion and nation (of any prophet). We shall getan idea of it, from the wise commandments and laws, guidance andteachings, in the sub-sections to follow.Let us now enquire about how the prayer should be offered. What to recitein it? How to stand upright for it? How to bend in it? And how to beginand conclude it?2.1.3. The call for prayer (Azaan)Let us begin with the Azaan which is said aloud five times a day. It isunlikely that its familiar echo has not filled the environs of any village, anycity or any neighborhood with a mixed population. I suggest that you firstlisten to the words of the Azaan, then read its meaning: Allah is the Greatest; Allah is the Greatest; Allah is the Greatest; Allah is the Greatest; I bear witness that there is none else worthy of worship except Allah; I bear witness that there is none else worthy of worship except Allah; I bear witness that Muhammad is the apostle of Allah; I bear witness that Muhammad is the apostle of Allah; Come to prayer; Come to prayer; Come to success; Come to success; Allah is the Greatest; Allah is the Greatest; There is none else worthy of worship except Allah.2.1.4. Azaan: the announcement for Salah and an invitation to IslamThe call (Azaan), fixed in Islam, to make the announcement for prayer andinvite people to it by the one who has taught us the Islamic Shariah,9 notonly expresses the aims, meaning and realities about the prayer; instead theaims of Islam, the signs of belief in Allah's Oneness and a completeexegesis of the soul of religion too has been included in it in such aneloquent, concise, beautiful and melodious manner that this call, which aMuezzin (one who calls for prayer from a mosque) raises from the minarets9. Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

PRAYER (SALAH) – THE FIRST PILLAR OF ISLAM | CHAPTER 2.1 | 15of a mosque five times a day, has acquired the form of a focused and cogentinvitation to Islam. It is that one and only call which is free and safe fromevery kind of apparent ambiguity and the accompaniment of any musicalinstrument; and the summary and exposition of religion has been covered init.The Azaan is also a proclamation of Allah's Greatness and Magnificence,that, He is the Greatest of all who are great. Then both the testimonies arepresent in it, a testimony of belief in the Oneness of Allah as also atestimony of apostleship. I bear witness that there is none else worthy of worship except Allah. I bear witness that Muhammad is the apostle of Allah.It has an invitation to attend the prayer and a declaration that prayer is thepath of success both in this world and in the Hereafter and that without itsuccess can not be achieved anywhere. It is because of all these reasonsthat the Azaan has become time’s thoroughly comprehensive invitation andeloquent announcement addressed to both the heart and the mind. It attractsthe attention of both the Muslim and the non-Muslim, produces alertness inthe lazy and cautions and awakens the negligent.2.1.5. PurificationThe word purification is not used here in the sense of the physical and chemical processes that itcommonly denotes. It has instead been used to denote 'a state of purification', more like anadjective, in the context of Islamic concepts like: Wudu, Ghusl, Taharah, Zakat and Tazkiah an-Nafs which though spiritual in nature are accompanied by physical actions. Wudu, Ghusl,Taharah: purification of the body, reflected in washing ourselves (Sub-section 2.1.5., 2.1.6. and3.). Zakat: purification of wealth, reflected in the distribution of the poor-due (Chapter 2. point 2;Chapter 2, Section 2). And Tazkiah an-Nafs: purifying the human mind of evil, reflected in aperson's noble behavior (Chapter 6). Please also refer to Chapter 3: Sec. 3.2.For offering the prayer it is mandatory to perform Taharah10 and Wudu.Allah the Exalted says: O ye who believe! When ye rise up for prayer,10. Washing oneself with water after the calls of nature.

16 | A SHORT PRESENTATION ON ISLAM wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, and lightly rub your heads and (wash) your feet up to the ankles and if ye are unclean, purify yourselves and if ye are sick or on a journey, or one of you cometh from a closet, or ye have had contact with women and ye find not water, then go to clean, high ground and rub your faces and your hands with some of it,* Allah doth not wish to place a burden on you, but He wishes to purify you and would perfect His grace upon you, that ye may give thanks.11 (* This dry procedure of attaining purification is called Taymoom)If this arrangement of purification and Wudu is practiced with therealization that the commandments of Allah and His apostle  are beingcarried out and that their reward is certain12, then it produces in a humanbeing a sort of awakening and agility, a frame of mind marked by concernand consideration for the Divine, and the capacity and ability to welcomethe approaching prayer and receive the splendor and tranquility associatedwith it.The Apostle of Allah  has also taught people to clean their teeth with asiwaak13 in order to complete the array of benefits associated with Wuduand Taharah and make preparations for the prayer (which, in fact, is abeliever's private conversation, supplication and hymn that he quietlywhispers to Allah the Exalted), and laid much emphasis upon its regular useand even went on to say that:11. V.6: Chapter 5: Al-Maidah: The meaning of the Glorious Quran; Pickthall. 12. The two terms usedby the author here are Eeman-o-Ehtesab which mean that a person has total belief on the promises thatAllah has made and on the returns and rewards indicated by the apostle of Allah, peace and blessings ofAllah be upon him, on the performance of acts specified and he performs these acts with interest, awareof their greatness in the sight of Allah. Such an attitude has a marked influence on the acceptability andweight of virtuous deeds in the sight of Allah the Exalted. It is related on the authority of SayyadnaAbu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said that the apostle of Allah, peace and blessingsof Allah be upon him, said that: When an obedient Muslim (or believing person) performs Wudu andwashes his face, every sin that he has done with his eye is washed away from his face with water, orwith the last drop of water; when he washes his hands, all sins of his hands that his hands havecommitted go away with water, or with the last drop of water; so much so that he becomes absolutelyclean and purified of all sins. Sahih Muslim and Muatta' additionally mention that: When he washes hisfeet then all sins of his feet that he walked with to commit a sin, if at all, are washed away. (Related byMuslim and Tirmizi) 13. A chewing stick, of the Arak tree, the size of a toothbrush.

PRAYER (SALAH) – THE FIRST PILLAR OF ISLAM | CHAPTER 2.1 | 17 Had it not been for that extra effort that I fear for my followers I would have ordered people to use 'siwaak' before every prayer.142.1.6. Ablutions (Wudu) before prayerA Muslim has to perform ablutions (Wudu) before prayer. Wudu is thatespecial procedure for attaining purification without which prayer is invalid.First the hands are washed up to the wrists three times. Then the mouth isrinsed three times. Then the lower nasal passage cleaned with water threetimes. Then the face is washed three times, from the hair marking the top ofthe forehead down to the chin and sideways from one ear lobe to the other.Then after the right fore-arm including the elbow has been washed threetimes, the left fore-arm including the elbow is washed three times.15 Thenthe entire head is wiped once, that is, rinsed palms are moved over the hairon the head. The last step is that after the right foot is washed up to theankle, the left foot is similarly washed. Subsequent to excretion of urine,stool and wind, repetition of this Wudu becomes necessary and withoutWudu a Salah is no good; if somebody falls asleep then that too makes itnecessary for him to perform Wudu. Unless Wudu is nullified as mentionedabove, prayers of several times can be offered with one Wudu.2.1.7. The routine and manner of Muslims in a mosqueAfter going to a mosque, if already in a state of purification thenimmediately, else after performing Wudu, a man gets busy in offeringsupererogatory prayers (Sunnah or Nafil). If he has already offered suchprayers, then in that case he sits in silence waiting for the congregationalprayer; or he reads or recites the Holy Quran; or gets engaged in his dailyschedule of recitations and chants. When it is time for the congregationalprayer, then first of all the Iqamath i.e. the announcement for thecommencement of the congregational prayer is said aloud. All its words arethe same as those called out in the Azaan, only two sentences are additional,whose sense is: The congregation is about to stand in prayer.16 The congregation is about to stand in prayer.14. Related in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. 15. Repetition of these steps of Wudu threetimes each is a Sunnah (prophet's practice) otherwise Wudu is considered to have been done if eachof its steps is performed properly twice or even once. 16. The Arabic phrase. . .contd on next page

18 | A SHORT PRESENTATION ON ISLAM2.1.8. Formation of rows & the congregation of Imam and followersAll people in the mosque, whether waiting for prayer here and there orengaged in some other righteous deed, come forward to stand in a row. Atthe conclusion of Iqamath, the Imam – generally some religious scholarfrom the neighborhood, or some Haafiz-e-Quran17, or any educatedMuslim18 – saying Allahu Akbar, raises his hands up to the level of earlobesthen places them on the navel and begins the prayer. Thus he and thefollowers with arms folded stand before God like slaves. He stands aheadof the followers in the middle. For a short while all, the Imam and thefollowers, recite a supplication in silence whose words can be translated asfollows. O Allah! Thou art sanctified, and praise is Thine. And Thy name is of Great Blessedness and Thy Greatness is Supreme, and none else is worthy of worship except Thee.At this point it is necessary to point out to the reader a universal rule that the language in which theAzaan and Iqamath are called out and the Salah is offered is Arabic. So, even if it is not pointedout every time that below is provided the meaning of passages and phrases that are recited in thecourse of the prayer in Arabic, it is implied that the actual words are in Arabic.Then if the prayer is one which is offered aloud19 the Imam recites the HolyQuran in a raised voice. After concluding the above supplication he recitesSurat-ul Fatihah. It is a Surah (Chapter of the Holy Quran) which is recitedin every prayer and it is the preface of the Glorious Quran and the abstractof Islam. It is the most frequently recited portion of the Glorious Quran andoccupies a place of great honour in Islam. Therefore, its meaning is beingpresented below.16. (contd from pevious page) . . . if translated literally reads as: The prayer is about to stand.(In the language of literary criticism, this is an example of metonymy i.e. the fact of referring tosomething by the name of something else closely connected with it e.g. we say that: The class hasread Bukhari but we mean that: The class has read the writings of Bukhari.) 17. Somebody whohas learnt the entire Holy Quran by heart. 18. In Islam, Imams and Ulema (theologians) do notcomprise some exclusive class of priests without whom Muslims can not perform various acts andkinds of worship. Anybody from among the Muslims can discharge the duties of an Imam.However, now-a-days for the sake of convenience and exigencies of better management Imamsand Muazzins have been appointed in most mosques. Since they devote their entire time to thiswork, a salary is paid to them by the neighborhood or the Muslim community or by the Waqf(Trust) concerned. 19. Prayers offered aloud: Of the five obligatory prayers three are offered aloudthese are Fajr, Maghrib and 'Ishaa. Two prayers, Zuhr and 'Asr, are offered in a suppressed voicei.e. the Imam does not raise his voice throughout these prayers except when he has to say aloud thecommands for beginning the prayer, for Ruku', for Sujood and for ending the prayer.

PRAYER (SALAH) – THE FIRST PILLAR OF ISLAM | CHAPTER 2.1 | 19 In the name of Allah the Benficent the Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of all the worlds. The Beneficent, the Merciful. Owner of the Day of Judgment. Thee (alone) we worship; Thee (alone) we seek for help. Show us the straight path. The path of those whom Thou hast favoured, not (the path) of those who earn Thine anger, nor of those who go astray.19On completion of this Surah both the Imam and the followers say Aameen,which means, O Allah accept our supplication.After the recitation of Suratul Fatihah the divine commandment is to recitesuch a portion from the Holy Quran which a person has memorized andwhich he can easily recall. Hence Allah the Exalted says: Recite, then, of the Quran that which is easy for you.20Its purpose is to ensure that the meaning of those words and the states ofmind associated with them get lodged in the heart, they acquire morestrength and nourishment, it becomes possible to explain them thoroughlyand teach them in detail, and their roots become deep and strong, because,prayer is worship also and an education also.The Imam recites any Surah (chapter) of the Noble Quran or some verses ofthe Noble Quran. Below are presented meanings of two very short chapters. In the name of Allah the Compassionate the Merciful By the time. Verily man is in loss. But not those who themselves believe and work righteous works, and enjoin upon each other the truth, and enjoin upon each other endurance.21 In the name of Allah the Compassionate the Merciful Say: He is Allah, the One! Allah the eternally Besought of all! He begetteth not, nor was begotten. And there is none comparable unto Him.2219. Chapter 1: Al-Fatihah: The meaning of the Glorious Quran; Pickthall. 20. V.20: Chapter 73:Al-Muzzammil: The meaning of the Glorious Quran;.Pickthall. 21. Chapter 103, Al ‘Asr,Daryabadi Quran Translation; Daryabadi. 22. Chapter 112, Al Ikhlaas; Translation: Pickthall.

20 | A SHORT PRESENTATION ON ISLAMThen the Imam says aloud the Takbeer (Allahu Akbar) and all assume a halfupright posture. It is called Ruku'23. In it Glory be unto my Lord, the Majestic24is said three or more times. Then the Imam says aloud: Allah listened to whosoever praised Him25and all stand upright for a while and the followers say: O our Lord! All praise is for Thee!26Then the Imam saying Allahu Akbar goes down on his knees to perform theSajdah (prostration) and the Muqtadi27 too do as he does (one, because heemulates the beloved prophet  and, secondly because they extend theirsupport to him before God by following him). In prostration, the foreheadand the nose touch the floor; both palms rest on the floor; elbows are keptraised above the floor and away from the sides; knees are placed on thefloor. During prostration: Glory be unto my Lord, the Most Exalted28is said three or more times after which the congregation sits in a particularposture and then saying Allahu Akbar performs the second prostration in thesame way.Prostration in the prayer is the ultimate condition of nearness to God andGod loves and likes most this expression of humility by His bondsman.According to a Tradition: The bondsman is nearest to his Sustainer during prostration therefore supplicate profusely in it.29So the prostrating Muslim considers this opportunity to be a blessing for23. Both 'u's pronounced as in 'sugar'. 24, 25, 26. Translation adapted with slight modificationfrom: Lessons in Islam; Mufti Kifayatullah. 27. Muqtadi is one word for the entire congregationbehind the Imam. 28. Source: Abu Da’ood; Nasaee. 29. Translation adapted with slightmodification from: Lessons in Islam; Mufti Kifayatullah.

PRAYER (SALAH) – THE FIRST PILLAR OF ISLAM | CHAPTER 2.1 | 21himself and supplicates with great depth of feeling before God, then allstand upright for the second Rakah. Its procedure is the same as wasdescribed above for the first Rakah, every Rakah follows the pattern of thistypical Rakah. After every two Rak'aat to sit down is compulsory. And inthe one sitting posture (Qa'dah) after which the prayer has to be concludedwith Salam, a further addition of the following supplication is made.All the salutations, prayers and the best words and righteous works arefor Allah. Peace be on you O prophet, and the blessings of Allah, andHis grace. Peace on us and on all the righteous servants of Allah. I bearwitness that none but Allah is worthy of worship and I bear witnessthat Muhammad is the servant and apostle of Allah.30O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as Thoublessedst Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. Verily, Thou art worthyof praise and art the Most Glorified. O Allah bestow Thy favors onMuhammad and the family of Muhammad as Thou bestowedst Thyfavors on Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. Verily, Thou art worthyof praise and art the Most Glorified.31Our Lord! Give unto us in the world that which is good and in theHereafter that which is good, and guard us from the doom of fire.32O Allah, I seek Thy protection from the torment of the Hell and Thyprotection from the torment of the grave and Thy protection from thetrials of living and dying and Thy protection from the evil in theturmoil of Antichrist.332.1.9. The self-confidence of a believer and determination of his class and leagueAfter fulfilling the obligation of hymn and praise due to Allah and afterinvoking peace and blessings (reference 30 and 31 above) on His prophet,Sayyadna Muhammad, the Apostle of Allah , the worshipping Muslim toogets some share out of those peace and blessings – of which he is needy30. At-Tahyaat: Translation adapted with slight modification from: Lessons in Islam;Kifayatullah. 31. Darood Shareef: Translation adapted with slight modification from: Lessons inIslam; Kifayatullah. 32. V.201, C2, Al Baqrah; The Meaning of the Glorious Quran; Pickthall 33.Translation adapted with slight modification from: Lessons in Islam; Mufti Kifayatullah.

22 | A SHORT PRESENTATION ON ISLAMand desirous – and which is also the sign of Islam and the salutation ofMuslims, he says: 'Peace on us and all the righteous servants of Allah'This is how his place and status is determined and revealed, and one comesto know that everywhere and at all times he is with the righteous servants ofAllah, and he is their partner and co-sharer in peace and brotherly love,safety and divine blessings. This assertion produces hope and self-confidence in him and dispels hopelessness, depression and (in the currentterminology of psychologists) inferiority complex; it makes him stand inone row alongside other worshippers of this Ummah33 (which includes themost distinguished of the learned men, illustrious scholars, righteousservants of Allah and those who are totally devoted to Him) and accords toall of them an equal status. They are Allah's party. Listen ye! It is Allah's party who are the successful.34Then the worshipper supplicates for himself and implores Allah to granthim refuge from the torment of the grave, the torment of Hell, the trials andslip-ups of life and death, and the evil in the turmoil of Antichrist becauseall of these things deserve that refuge in Allah be taken from them and thatprayers be made for divine protection against the evil and trial that isinherent in them. According to a Noble Tradition, the Apostle of Allah  isreported to have said that: After Prophet Noah, peace be upon him, no prophet has lived who has not warned his people against Antichrist, I also warn you against him and ask you to beware of him.2.1.10. The beauty of a prayer's conclusionAt the conclusion of the prayer, after diligently observing all etiquette andconditions and in spite of worshipping as the rights of a prayer demand, aworshipper confesses to his inadequacy and says, as if, through hiscondition that, 'I could not worship Thee as was Thine right to be34. V.22: C,58: Al-Mujadalah; Meaning of the Glorious Quran; Mohammad Marmaduke Pickthall.

PRAYER (SALAH) – THE FIRST PILLAR OF ISLAM | CHAPTER 2.1 | 23worshipped!’ He concludes the prayer with those memorable words that thebeloved prophet  had taught to Sayyadna Abu Bakr Siddique, may Allahbe pleased with him, who is after the Apostle of Allah  the most righteousamong the Muslim nation. O Allah! I have done wrong to myself, great wrong indeed, and none except Thee forgivest the sins hence grant me forgiveness from Thy pardon and favor and have mercy on me. Verily Thou art the Forgiving, the Merciful.35Thus does this wholehearted worship conclude, with a confession ofmistakes and on feelings of regret and remorse. There can not be a moreappropriate and more befitting conclusion than this to anybody's 'Journal ofActivities'.362.1.11. Mosques and their importance & centrality in Muslim societyFor this purpose such mosques were built which are in terms of theirsimplicity and solemnity, serenity and pleasing ambience, their spirituallyblissful atmosphere and manifestly conspicous signs of belief in theOneness of Allah, entirely different from the places of worship of otherfaiths and communities. (This lamp is found)* in houses which Allah hath allowed to be exalted and that His name shall be remembered therein; therein do offer praise to Him at morn and evening, men whom neither merchandize nor sale beguileth from remembrance of Allah and constancy in prayer and paying to the poor their due; who fear a day when hearts and eyeballs will be overturned.3735. Related in Sahih Bukhari. 36. Readers unfamiliar with Islam will not be able to comprehendthe author here. According to the Islamic faith, Allah the Exalted manages and administers theaffairs of this world through the agency of angels. Thus angels are appointed to write down everyaction of a human being, good or bad. Similarly, angels are appointed to collect this 'Journal ofActivities' twice everyday once at the time of Fajr Prayer and once at the time of 'Asr Prayer andpresent them before Allah the Exalted. So while Allah sends His messages through 'RevealedBooks' to humankind, humankind sends 'Journals of their Activities' back to Him and a two-waycommunication between God and man exists with angels carrying the messages in both thedirections. 37. V.36-37: C. 24: An-Noor: Quran; Translation: Pickthall. * Heart of a believer.

24 | A SHORT PRESENTATION ON ISLAM And the places of worship are only for Allah, so pray not unto any one along with Allah.38 Set your faces aright at every prostration, and call on Him, making religion pure for Him.39 O Children of Adam! Look to your adornment at every place of worship.40Appropriately enough, mosques had become the religious center of Muslimsand the fountainhead of their education and training, and guidance andreform. Collective and religious issues of Muslims were solved in them.Orders concerning different important affairs and different walks of lifewere given to them. When an event of large proportions occurred or whensome expedition was under consideration and Muslims needed freshinstructions and fresh guidance, the Apostle of Allah  ordered that theannouncement of Salatul Jaam’eh be made among Muslims; that is to say:Muslims from other neighborhoods and from remote, distant, areas too prayat the Prophet's Mosque today as something important has to be said.Mosques retained this centrality and all-embracing nature throughout.Entire life rotated around this very axis. Springs of knowledge andguidance, movements of reform and adoption of righteousness, all used tooriginate and spread from this very center.2.1.12. Friday – the 'Eid of the weekThe Arabic word 'Eid means a solemn festival. Most of you know that 'Eid is the annual festival ofMuslims. Friday is considered to be the 'Eid of the week.On Friday, instead of the Zuhr prayer, a special Prayer of Friday is offered.Its time is the same as that of the Zuhr prayer. On the one hand a reductionhas been made in it that instead of four, two Rak'aat are offered, on theother hand is an addition that the sermon (Khutbah) is delivered before theprayer (Salah) and the prayer is offered in a raised voice.38. V.18: Chapter 72: Al-Jinn: The meaning of the Glorious Quran; Muhammad M. Pickthall. 39.V.29: Chapter 7: Al-A'raaf; The meaning of the Glorious Quran; Mohammad MarmadukePickthall. 40. V.31: Chapter 7: Al-A'raaf: The meaning of the Glorious Quran; M. Pickthall.

PRAYER (SALAH) – THE FIRST PILLAR OF ISLAM | CHAPTER 2.1 | 252.1.13. Friday – Its class and distinctionsThe prayer of Friday consists of many such formalities, encouragementsand numerous such distinctions and additions, because of which there hascome about a manifold increase in its magnificence, dignity and eminence;and through these a new sentiment and zeal is created for acts of worshipand nearness to Allah and for the unity and co-operation (in virtue and fearof God) among Muslims. Allah the Exalted says: O ye who believe! When the call is made for the prayer of Friday, Haste unto the remembrance of Allah and leave your trading. That is better for you if ye did but know.41According to a Noble Tradition: Allah the Exalted seals the heart of the one who leaves three consecutive Fridays because of laziness and carelessness.42To perform Ghusl43, use siwaak, apply perfume and give maximumattention to purification and politeness is mandatory for the Prayer of Fridayand a sermon is also delivered in it before the prayer. The sermon that theApostle of Allah  used to deliver on Fridays was not one of thoseconformist, routine, addresses which has neither life, nor soul and which isdevoid of message and guidance, instead it used to be entirely inconcordance with contemporary life and events. To listen to the sermon inabsolute silence and with calmness is also mandatory, so that, in thatpeaceful and spiritual atmosphere its complete and proper benefit may bederived, because in its time, place and occasion the sermon is worship, notmere oratory. During the sermon, conversation is strictly prohibited, to theextent that, even stopping someone sitting next to you from talking isprohibited because even that much will disturb the calm and lessen thedignity that the sermon demands.A Noble Tradition mentions that:41. V.9: Chapter 62: Al-Jum'ah: The meaning of the Glorious Quran; Mohammad MarmadukePickthall. 42. Related by As-haab Sunan i.e. Collectors of Traditions of a legal nature on varioussubjects including those pertaining to congregational prayers; names of celebrated Traditionistslike Abu Da’ood, Nasaee, Tirmizi and Ibn Majah, among others, appear in this class of Tradionists.43. Ghusl: To bathe according to a specified Islamic procedure in order to attain purification.

26 | A SHORT PRESENTATION ON ISLAM Whosoever said 'Be quiet' to his companion (at the time of the Sermon) on a Friday, even such a one was superfluous and vain in his speech.2.1.14. Meaning of an Arabic sermon (Khutbah)Presented below, as an example, is the meaning of an Arabic Sermon:“Subsequent to the hymn and praise unto Allah and peace and blessings onHis noble prophet.O People!Adopt Tawheed (Think of Allah as being One in His Being and Attributesand do not think of somebody as being His associate) because Tawheed isthe greatest worship of God and its adoption is an act most holy. Inwhatever you do, have a sense of honor and deference before Allah becausethis habit of having a sense of honor and deference constitutes thefoundation of all righteous deeds. Hold firm to the way and the practices ofthe Apostle of Allah  because his way and practices guide but towardsdevotion and obedience; and whosoever will obey Allah and His apostle such a one will be treading the straight path and will be the achiever of thecherished goal. Always keep away from new ideas and new ways of doingthings that have been introduced in religion (sing: Bid'ah pl: Bid'aat:innovations) because their result is Allah's disobedience and waywardness.Throughout your life, let truth be your manner because there is deliverancein truth and destruction in falsehood. Make the doing of favors to peopleand kind behavior a custom of your life because benefactors are the belovedof Allah. Never lose hope of Allah's mercy because He is the MostMerciful of all who are merciful. Do not fall for the world lest you looseeverything. Lo! Nobody can die until his portion of livelihood has reachedhim. Therefore any effort to earn livelihood which entails Allah'sdisobedience and clubs means that are allowed and forbidden, legal andillegal, is vain. To achieve your ends adopt good means also. Trust in Godin all that you do, because Allah has great consideration for those who trustHim. Do not shy away from supplicating because Allah hears everybody’splaint and fills everybody’s bowl. Keep praying for the forgiveness of yoursins from Allah and be regular in Istaghfar (supplications particular toasking forgiveness) for it will bring grace upon your wealth and children.

PRAYER (SALAH) – THE FIRST PILLAR OF ISLAM | CHAPTER 2.1 | 27Allah the Exalted says in the Glorious Quran: And your Lord hath said: Pray unto Me and I will hear your prayer. Lo! Those who scorn My service they will enter Hell, disgraced.44May Allah grant to you and me more and more portion from the wealth ofthe Holy Quran and may He cause its verses and wise counsels to benefityou and me. For myself, for you and for the whole lot of Muslims, I herebyseek God’s Forgiveness. You also seek Forgiveness from Him. Verily, Heis the Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.”2.1.15. Prayers are not identical and the spiritual levels of worshippers also are not identicalPrayer is not something static and finite like a metal mould or a woodenplank, in which all may be alike and every worshipper compelled to remainat the same level and incapable of advancing beyond that. It is, in fact, avery vast and expansive field in which a worshipper ascends from onecondition to another condition, and from peak to perfection, and fromperfection he reaches to those transcendental stages that lie beyond histhought and imagination. In it the place and position of people is widelydifferent and dissimilar from each other and everybody’s plane is different.How can a prayer offered thoughtlessly, ignorantly, compete with a prayeroffered with the sentiment of seeking to be in God’s Presence and with theright juridical knowledge? Likewise, how can prayers of common Muslimsand prayers of those having mystic knowledge and prayers of those who arefirm of belief, all be placed on the same plane. Then, this too is notnecessary that the prayer offered today should resemble the prayer offeredyesterday or one that was offered a few months or a few years ago and theworshipper keeps offering prayers of the same spiritual standard always.That precisely is why references to prayers in the Glorious Quran appear intwo ways. Once where the conduct of the worshipper is bad, and oncewhere it is good. Allah the Exalted says: Ah, woe unto the worshippers. Who are heedless of their prayer.44 V.60: C.40: Al-Mo'min; The Meaning of the Glorious Quran; Muhammad M. Pickthall

28 | A SHORT PRESENTATION ON ISLAM Who (only) make a show of their worship. Yet refuse small kindnesses!45And while mentioning prayers in the second context, He says: Successful indeed are the believers. Who are humble in their prayers.46Similarly, the Apostle of Allah  too has mentioned two types of prayers.One characterized by fear of God and humility, tenderness of heart andbliss; the other characterized by thoughtlessness and carelessness: adeficient prayer. About the first type the apostle of Allah  has said: The Apostle of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, performed Wudu, and performed it well, (then said that) whoever performs Wudu like my Wudu and then offers a two-rakat prayer without bringing any thought in his heart, all his past sins will be forgiven.47Sayyadna 'Uqbah bin 'Aamr, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated thatthe Apostle of Allah  said that: Whosoever Muslim performs ablutions well, then offers a two rak'at prayer standing, with both his heart and face remaining rapt in attention towards prayer, then Paradise becomes due on him.48About the second type of prayers 'Ammar bin Yasir, may Allah be pleasedwith him, narrates that I heard the Apostle of Allah  saying that: Man even finishes offering his prayer and yet (the credit of) only one tenth of that prayer comes in his lot and sometimes one-ninth, one-eighth, one-seventh, one-sixth, one-fifth, one-fourth, one-third and half.4945. V.4-7, C.107, Al Ma’oon 46. V.1-2: Chapter 23: Al-Mu'minoon; The meaning of the GloriousQuran; Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall. 47. Related by Imam Bukari and Imam Muslim on theauthority of Sayyadna 'Uthman Ibn 'Affan, may Allah be pleased with him. 48 & 49 Related byMuslim.

PRAYER (SALAH) – THE FIRST PILLAR OF ISLAM | CHAPTER 2.1 | 29The Apostle of Allah  also said that: 'Most wicked is the man who steals his own prayers.' The Noble Companions submitted, 'O Apostle of Allah how does someone steal his own prayer?' The apostle of Allah  said, 'Neither performs the Ruku' properly nor the Sajdah'.50Sayyadna Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, narrates that the Apostle ofAllah  said that: This is a hypocrite's prayer who sits watching the sun: once the sun becomes yellow (colored) and has reached between the two horns of the devil he stands up, then in the manner of the striking of a hen's beak prays four rak'aat hastily in such a way that the glorification of Allah is certainly little in it.51In prayer the ranks of people are different and the prayer of one cannot belikened to the prayer of the other. Accordingly the prayer of the Apostle ofAllah  was the most superior, perfect, of the best quality, spiritually themost exalted and in God's Balance it weighed the heaviest. As compared tosomebody else's prayer the prayer of Sayyadna Abu Bakr Siddique, mayAllah be pleased with him, was the closest to and had the most strikingresemblance with the prayer of the beloved Prophet . For this very reasonduring his terminal illness the Apostle of Allah  had directed SayyadnaAbu Bakr Siddique, may Allah be pleased with him, to substitute for himand lead the prayer and in spite of Sayyedah 'Aishah's opinion thatSayyadna ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, lead the prayer, thebeloved Prophet  had said 'Ask Abu Bakr to lead the prayer'52 andeverybody had complied accordingly.In addition to the foregoing, the accuracy with which the class and rank ofpeople can be estimated through prayer nothing else – for instanceknowledge, intellect or some kind of academic contribution – can. Onlyprayer is that valid and reliable measure which can give an idea of a man'sreligion and his place in Islam. Personalities whose names are eternally50. Related by Nasaee. 51. Related in Sahih Bukhari. 52. Related in Sahih Bukhari.

30 | A SHORT PRESENTATION ON ISLAMalive in Islamic history and who are seen as much superior to theircontemporaries, have achieved their place and position and theirimmortality, by creating a superiority and distinction in this very prayer andbecause their prayer had ascended to the level of Ihsaan53.53. Ihsaan in Islamic terminology is that you worship Allah in a manner as if you are seeing Him;if that is not possible for you to do at least you should be aware and conscious that although you donot see Him He is watching you always.

Chapter 2: Section: 2.2 Poor-due (Zakat) – The second pillar of IslamThe Arabic word Zakat does not have an equivalent in English but it is translated here as poor-due. Thebinary term poor-due too is not employed in this book in the general sense of its apparent meaning; it hasinstead been used specifically to denote a measure of wealth whose distribution, as per Allah's commandment,among specified recipients constitutes an act of worship in Islam. Brief details about its obligatory nature,conditions for its deduction, formulae employed in its calculation, periodicity of its distribution and eligibilityof its recipients form the subject matter of this section. But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then are they your brethren-in-religion.12.2.1. The importance of Poor-due in Islam and its status under Shariah (Islamic Law)In the Glorious Quran Zakat and Prayer are mentioned together at eightytwo places. Thus the entire Quran seems to be full of 'establish worship andpay the poor-due'. Apart from this, at every single place where theattributes of Muslims are described, there also each time 'who establish theprayer and give the poor-due'2 has appeared. The Apostle of Allah  haslisted it among the basic pillars of Islam; he  is reported to have said that: The foundation of Islam rests on five things: to bear witness that there is none else worthy of worship except Allah, to establish worship (Salah), to pay the poor-due, to observe the fasts of Ramzan and to perform the Haj.The beloved Prophet  was asked 'What is Islam?' He  replied that: Worship Allah and ascribe no partners unto Him, establish the obligatory prayers, pay the poor-due and observe the fasts of Ramzan.31. V.11: Chapter 9: At-Tawbah; 2. V.55: Chapter 5: Al-Maidah: The meaning of the GloriousQuran; M. M. Pickthall. 3. Related by Sheikhain; on the authority of Sayyadna Abu Hurairah, mayAllah be pleased with him.

32 | A SHORT PRESENTATION ON ISLAMIn the Tradition reported by Dhammam bin Th'ulbah it is mentioned that: Dhammam bin Th'ulbah once asked the Prophet  that, 'I make you swear by Allah and ask you if Allah the Exalted has commanded you to take poor-due from the rich of us and distribute (it) among the poor', the Prophet  said, 'Yes certainly'.Traditions on this subject are in such abundance that to count them isdifficult, they have reached the ‘numerous chains of narrators’4 limit, andthe consensus of the Ummah is that Zakat is entirely inseparable fromprayer and that since centuries and generations compliance to thiscommandment is regular.Allah the Exalted has declared constancy in prayer and the payment ofZakat to be a sign of the health and acceptance of Islam, compliance to itscommandments, observance of a truce with Allah and having brotherlyrelations with Muslims.It is mentioned in the Glorious Quran: But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then leave their way free. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.5In another place Allah the Exalted says: But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then are they your brethren-in-religion. We detail our revelations for a people who have knowledge.62.2.2. The basic concept of the Economic System of Islam: Everything is Owned by God4. The word used here by the author is Tawatur (Urdu) which though translated as 'numerouschains of narrators' also has a statistical connotation. It means that the number of people who heara statement or see a deed and then the number of people who narrate it to others on the former'sauthority in every age, be so high that the hypothesis that the whole lot are narrating a falsehood isrejected. 5. V.5: Chapter 9: At-Tawbah; The Meaning of the Glorious Quran; MuhammadMarmaduke Pickthall. 6. V.11; Chapter 9, At Tawbah; The meaning of the Glorious Quran;Mohammad M. Pickthall.